Al-Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi declared a "bitter war" on Iraq's parliamentary elections next Sunday, in an audio tape purporting to come from the Jordanian militant and posted on the Internet.
The speaker urged Sunni Muslims to fight against the vote, which he said was a plot against them by Washington and its "infidel" Shi'ite Muslim allies.
"We have declared a bitter war against the principle of democracy and all those who seek to enact it," the speaker, who was identified as Zarqawi, said in the tape posted today.
"Candidates in elections are seeking to become demi-gods while those who vote for them are infidels. And with God as my witness, I have informed them (of our intentions)."
Shi'ite Muslims, who form a majority in Iraq, are poised to win the elections and Sunni insurgents have intensified their attacks to disrupt the elections.
Sunnis controlled Iraq during the rule of ousted leader Saddam Hussein. The voice on the tape was similar to previous recordings attributed to Zarqawi, the United States' number one enemy in Iraq.
The recording was not dated. Zarqawi's group, the Al-Qaeda Organisation for Holy War in Iraq, has claimed some of the bloodiest attacks on US troops and Iraqi officials in the run up to the January 30th vote.
Zarqawi, who regards Shi'ites as infidels and apostates like many other Muslim militants, warned Sunni Iraqis the vote was aimed at giving these "rejectionists" absolute power over Iraq.